I would not include Skylab or ASTP in this question unless it was specified. The question is not specific enough because it does not mention if we should include astronauts who flew on more than one Apollo mission or more than one Soyuz mission. But the bottom line is that, yes, more American astronauts have flown on Soyuz missions than on Apollo missions.

As for counting astronauts every time they have flown on Soyuz, even multiple times - I think they should be included each time because we paid $60M or $120M for each flight.

However, if we include the 3 astronauts aboard each of 3 manned Skylab missions and the 3 astronauts on the Apollo/Soyuz mission in 1975, that makes 45 astronauts on US Apollo missions (counting astronauts for each flight, even if they had flown before). The 38 astronauts (including US civilian participants) who have flown on Soyuz missions would be less than 45.

The US plans to include 4 US astronauts on Soyuz missions in 2014.

Jay Chladek

I would count Skylab and ASTP. Reason being is they still used Apollo capsules. Sure, they didn't fly to the moon, but neither did the manned Soyuz in ANY form.

moorouge

quote:Originally posted by Jay Chladek:...but neither did the manned Soyuz in ANY form.

It's worth remembering that Zond 5, in September 1968, did carry living creatures round the Moon and return them safely. Zond was based on the manned Soyuz craft (or vice versa).

Okay - Zond 5 was 'turtled' rather than 'manned'.

SaturnV

quote:Originally posted by LM1:I would not include Skylab or ASTP in this question unless it was specified.

But it is specified. The question is regarding Soyuz versus Apollo flights... Skylab and ASTP were Apollo flights. They should be counted.

Blackarrow

Let's not forget that the first American astronauts to fly in the Soyuz spacecraft were Tom Stafford, Deke Slayton and Vance Brand. I assume they all made at least one complete orbit in Soyuz, although I'm open to correction on that.

Hart Sastrowardoyo

That would mean including the American astronauts who were doing tasks in the Soyuz when it was docked to Mir or ISS, if their tasks took 90 minutes or so....

LM1

This is why the original question must be much more specific, because I interpreted it to be "launched" aboard the Soyuz, not "set foot" in a Soyuz.

Hart Sastrowardoyo

Or apply the same criteria as shuttle-flown to Soyuz, as Bowersox and company landed in a Soyuz but didn't launch. Yet it can be argued they flew on the Soyuz.

moorouge

quote:Originally posted by Blackarrow:Let's not forget that the first American astronauts to fly in the Soyuz spacecraft were Tom Stafford, Deke Slayton and Vance Brand. I assume they all made at least one complete orbit in Soyuz, although I'm open to correction on that.

On the Russian side, Leonov was 5 hours, 43 minutes in Apollo and Kubasov 4 hours, 57 minutes, though some of Kubasov's time was spent in the docking tunnel.

Skylon

quote:Originally posted by Hart Sastrowardoyo:That would mean including the American astronauts who were doing tasks in the Soyuz when it was docked to Mir or ISS, if their tasks took 90 minutes or so....

If the criteria is "flew" then a question I have is, did the Shuttle-Mir astronauts and ISS Expedition 2 through 5 crews have to participate in a relocation of their Soyuz to a different docking port on either station?

"Entered in space" is a bit tricky and its safe to assume any Mir or ISS crewmember delivered to the station via shuttle was in the Soyuz at some point. On the other end, there are lots of photos of cosmonauts who were aboard visiting space shuttles when they were docked to Mir and ISS - thus if you enter that criteria for Soyuz, you get more people "flying" the space shuttle.

Jay Chladek

I don't know about the ISS Expedition 2-5 crews, but to my knowledge, there were no Soyuz relocation flights that took place during the Shuttle-Mir period, at least when astronauts were onboard.

Mir had Kurs capable docking ports both front and rear for use by Soyuz and Progress capsules, plus the ability to offload water tankage and propellant on either side from Progress to the Mir. The lack of that capability on both ports on previous Soviet stations was the primary reason why a Soyuz needed to be moved as the Progress could only dock on one port.